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Mount Vernon Blog

Recent and Upcoming Archaeological Projects at Mount Vernon

Wednesday, January 09, 2019

by Sean Devlin As archaeologists we use diverse bits of evidence to learn more about how people have shaped the landscape of Mount Vernon over time, and in turn how the landscape has shaped the interactions of people with each other throughout the past. This evidence is incredibly diverse in form and age. Everything from a building foundation to...


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'Twas the Night of Christmas

Monday, December 24, 2018

General George Washington reminiscences about the famous crossing of the Delaware River on the evening of December 25, 1776. Watch the Video


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Law and Order: How a Founding Father was Robbed

Sunday, December 16, 2018

Mount Vernon’s staff have rediscovered an interesting story from George Washington’s youth: During a summertime swim in the 1750s, Washington was robbed while in the Rappahannock River. In December 1751, Ann Carrol and Mary McDaniel stood trial for “Suspicion of Felony, & Charged with robing the Cloaths of Mr. George Washington.” At some point,...


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In-Depth Look At George Washington's Will

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

A will is the last piece of documentation you would expect to gain insight to a person's thought process and personality. However, George Washington's will surprisingly humanizes a man who has been immortalized in history books and public statues. Join us as we visit the Fairfax County Courthouse and learn about the personal side few know of the...


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Making George Washington Bourbon™

Tuesday, December 04, 2018

by Steve Bashore, Director of Historic Trades This November the distilling team in the historic trades department branched out from our usual rye whiskey production run, working with our consulting distiller, Lisa Wicker, to create the very first George Washington Bourbon™. The first question that arises: did Washington produce bourbon at Mount ...


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Visiting George Washington’s British Ancestry at Sulgrave Manor

Tuesday, November 20, 2018

Tucked away in the English country side is a rare and important piece of history few know about. It is the home of George Washington’s ancestors: Sulgrave Manor. George Washington may have been one of the founding fathers of the United States, but do you know where his family came from, who they were, and what they did? Our digital storyteller t...


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Colonial Arts: Air & Optics

Tuesday, November 06, 2018

Mount Vernon’s Colonial Market & Fair features dozens of America’s finest historic craftspeople who display their talents and wares. Jon Stealey of Findlay, OH, has participated in the festival since 2013, sharing his collection of camera obscurae with fair-goers.


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Colonial Superstitions

Saturday, October 27, 2018

Superstitions: beliefs or notions not based on reason or knowledge in or of the ominous significance of a particular thing, circumstance, occurrence, proceeding, or the like. Many of the common superstitions we recognize today--walking under a ladder, breaking a mirror, opening an umbrella indoors--originated well before Washington’s time. The A...


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